Fence-machine



(No Modem Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. P. PIERSON. 4FENCE MACHINE.

No. 540,027. Patented May 28, 1895."

(No Model.) 2 sheets-Sheet 2.

Y 0. P. PIERSON.

FENCE MACHINl-.

No. 540,027, A vPmzmed Mayes, 1895.

Q ill @www @s TN: Norms PETERS co. wo'rou'mo. wAswlNcroN, u c4 .UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLE P. PIERSON, OF SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA.

FENCE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,027, dated'May 28,1895.

Application tiled April 30, 1894.

-To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, OLE P. PIERsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sioux Falls, in the county of Minnehaha-and State of SouthDakota, have invented anew and useful Fence-Machine, of which thefollowing is a speciiication.

This invention relates to fence machines; and it has for its object toprovide a hand machine of thatV character adapted for wirin g thepickets of a picket wire fence.

To this end the rain and primary obj ect of the present invention is toprovide an im-v proved fence Wiring machine which shall be of areversible character whereby the fence wires can be twisted tightlyabout thin wire or metal pickets as well as about wider wooden pickets,and to combine this reversibility with several other features of noveltyto complete an effectively operating fence Wiring machine.

With these and other objects in View, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a handfence-machine constructed in accordance with this invention, shown inoperative position for wiring wooden pickets. Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the machine wiring wire or thin metal pickets. Fig. 3 is acentral vertical sectional view of the machine shown in connection witha specitic form of wire picket with which the machine is designed to beused. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line a: a: of Fig. 3.Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective of one of the twister-wheels. Fig. 6is a similar view of the stretcher and tension used in connection withthe machine. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on the line y y of Fig.3.

Referring'to the accompanying drawings, A represents the verticalmachine frame or casing adapted to support the twisting devices of themachine which is moved along by hand as the wiring ofthe picketsproceeds.

VThe machine frame A, comprises the opposite parallel frame sides orplates B, which plates are provided at their opposite inner adsenn no.509,546. oto maar jacent edges with the inturned or inwardly disposedguide and retain-ing Iianges C, for the,

purpose to be presently referred to, and the upper and lower ends of theframe sides or plates B, are connected rmly together by the hanged capplates E, while at an intermediate point between the top and bottom ofthe frame, the said opposite frame sides or plates are firmly braced orconnected together by the intermediate brace plates F, thus completing amachine frame possessing considerable strength and durability.

v The opposite frame plates B, are provided Witha vertical series ofaligned circular bear ing openings G, which support and form b earingsfor the vertical series of twister Wheels H, mounted inside ot the frameA, between,

the opposite side plates thereof. VThe several twister wheels H, whilein vertical alignment with each other, are separated soas to have anindependent though simultaneous movement, and such wheels are preferablyof an integral construction having central cogt portions or sprocketwheels, I, and oppositely projected hub portions J, whichregisterandturn in the aligned bearing openings G, in the opposite frame sides.

The oppositely projected hub portions J, of the cogged or sprocketwheeled twisters, which turn in the aligned beari-ng openings of theframe sides, serve to hold the twisters steady in their rotation whileat the same time forming a SuppOIt therefor, and one of the hub portionsJ of each wheel` is provided with a tapered extremity K, which projectsbeyond one of the frame sides of the frame fonthe purpose to bepresently referredto.

Running through the entire length of the hub, including bothoppositely-projected portions thereof, are the wire openings L, whichaccommodate the fence wires M, which wires are arranged in pairs so asto be twisted around the tence picket in the `ordinary manner.

The longitudinal wire openings L, of each twister wheel are arranged inoblique planes so as to be convergently disposed toward the taperedextremities of the hubs to bring the wires near together at that end,while with respect to the other plain ends of the hub which lie flush inthe bearing openings therefor, the said wire openings are divergentlydisposed so as to separate the wires sufficiently apart at that end ofthe hub to admit of wider pickets therebetween.

Mounted within the top of the machine frame A, above the upper one ofthe twister wheels is the drive sprocket wheel N, which is provided withthe projected hubportion fn, journaled in the upper bearing openings ofthe frame sides, and is further provided at the extremity of each hubportion with the squared crank stems n', adapted to receive the socketend o, of lan ordinary operating crank handle O, which is used on eitherside of the machine frame according to the character of the picketsaround which the wires are being. twisted. A single drive sprocket chainQ, is arranged to engage the teeth' of the upper drive sprocket wheeland the cen-4 tral sprocket wheels of the several aligned twisters, soas to simultaneously communicate motion to the several twisters byrotating the upper drive sprocket wheel, and the opposite side edges ofthe sprocket chain are overlapped by the inner guide and retainingflanges C, of the frame sides so as to hold such sprocket chain to itswork inside of the machine frame.

When the machine is employed for wiring wide wooden pickets R, as shownin Fig. l of the drawings, the plain or squared ends of the twister hubsare presented to the pickets so that the wires M, will be sufficientlywide apart to admit of the insertion of such pickets, but when wire orthin metal pickets r, such as shown in Figs. 2 and 8 of the drawings,are employed, the position the machine is reversed so that the taperedends of the hubs will be disposed toward such pickets. As illustrated,the pickets fr, are preferably formed of wire and are provided atregularly spaced points with contracted wire necks r', around which thewires M are to be twisted, and by reason of tapering one end of thehubs, such tapered ends may be shoved into the space leading up to suchneck in order to insure a close twisting of the wires around the neck aswill be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, thus providing amachine capable of wiring wide and thin pickets, whether of wood ormetal. v

The fence wires M, which are twisted around the pickets in the mannerjust described, are strung up at their ends in any suitable manner andto any suitable character of posts, but in the presentinvention, asclearly shown in Figs. 1 and 6 of the drawings, I use in connection withthese wires a combined stretcher and tension S, which provides forkeeping the wires M, at a proper tension as well as to stretch and takeup any slack thereof.

The tension S, comprises the body s, having at one end the notchedbearingears T,

and at the inner ends or the base of said ears the wire notches oropenings t, i-n which are twisted the free portions of the wires M,which are interlaced around the tension posts U, rising from the body s,of the stretcher and tension, and serving to prevent the wires M, fromslipping, and permitting the same to be held at the proper tension bythe ratchet drum V, journaled in the notched bearing ears T, andprovided at one end with a ratchet flange c, engaged at one side by acheck dog c', pivoted on the body s. Supporting wires W, are attached tothe drum V, at4 one end and at their other ends to a suitable standardor post, so that by rotating the drum the tension and stretching of thewires M, may be properly maintained.'

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation andmany advantages of the herein described fence machine will be apparentto those skilled in the art, and I will have it understood that changesin the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may beresorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a fence wiring machine, an upright frame, the opposite parallelsides of which are provided with aligned bearing openings, a series ofvertically aligned twisters arranged within the frame and havingintegral central sprocket wheels and oppositely projected hub portionsjournaled in the bearing openings of the frame sides, one of such hubportions lying flush in the bearingopening therefor, and the otheropposite hub portion being provided with a tapered extremity Kto projectinto the space leading to the contracted neck of a narrow picket, andall of the hubs of the twisters being provided with separate wireopenings extending the entire length thereof and convergently disposedtoward the tapered hub extremities, a suitably arranged drive sprocketwheel, and a sprocket chain engaging the teeth of the severalv sprocketwheels, substantially as set forth.

2. In a fence wiring machine, the combination of the parallel framesides having inwardly disposed guide and retaining flanges `at theiropposite inner edges, the sprocket twister wheels journaled between saidframe sides, and the sprocket chain having its opposite parallelportions meshing with opposite sides of the several twister wheels andadapted to have its side edges guided inside of the machine frame bysaid guide and retaining flanges, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with afence wiring machine having twister wheelsprovided with single pairs of wire openings; of a combined stretcher andtension device comprising -a IOO IIO

around said tension posts substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

oLE P. PIERsoN.

Witnesses:

0. A. CARPENTER, W. S. JONES.

